If content is king, then video is queen…and anyone knows that a queen always trumps a king. So it comes as no surprise to see video content take a giant surge when it comes to successful multimedia marketing that gets results. From small time bloggers’ reviews of hauls that have magnetized a growing cult-like audience, to giant e-commerces, it’s clear that video is where it’s at.

Take e-commerce giant Zappos, which was one of the pioneers a few years back in sourcing great original videos that both highlighted their news-worthy company culture and previewed their products with SEO rich keywords. In 2010, the company created over 60K product videos, with numbers expecting to reach 100K by the end of this year.

So why does video work? Think of the Home Shopping Network…those late night infomercials that have you hooked. The power of video lies in that you can “see” what you’re being offered. There’s an appeal of not relying on static graphics and descriptions; rather, you’re as good as there. There’s also a sensory appeal. Your eyes and ears are filled with changing visuals and sounds, keeping you hooked, keeping you entertained and curious.

But videos aren’t just for e-commerce based businesses. Videos are really the one tool that translates to success across ANY business. Whether you’re doing a product video, showing service results, interviewing customer reviews or offering tips or a personal introduction. You simply cannot go wrong with video…if you do it right.

Content – Just like with text content, video content needs to have some sort of scheme. Start off by creating an editorial calendar for your video content just as you should be doing for your text content. Keep in mind that producing an entire video from start to finish is a more consuming process that involves at least a small team, as opposed to just one person writing content. With that in mind, pace your content schedule out accordingly, especially if you’re a smaller team that has other priorities. For this type of team, one video every week is ideal; a video every two weeks is realistic, and a video every month should be the minimum.

Each video should start with a script. What are you going to say and how are you going to say it? Do a competitor analysis to see what others are doing. Pick up on their successes and avoid their mistakes as you watch other videos as a consumer would.

Technical Style – You can create a video without equipment and you can’t create a good video without good equipment. If you’re serious about videos, you absolutely have to invest in the equipment. You’ll need a good camera, lighting props, reflectors and video editing equipment, including a program and preferably an Apple computer (which includes a wonderful iMac movie editing program). If you’re on a smaller budget but can afford to splurge a little per video, hire a college student to edit the videos. I’ve seen the difference an amateur edit offers versus someone who knows what they’re doing. Trust me when I say it’s worth the investment.

Going back to style, a video should never just be a straight shot. Consider angles, background, lighting, voice overs, themes, etc. The more dynamic, the more successful your video will be. All videos should range between 1-3 minutes. Anything more and you’ve likely lost your audience.

Aside from posting your newest videos up on your homepage (not any subpages), you should be marketing all video content across social media channels and plugging it in your email marketing campaigns and press kits.

Tip: Scan the Competition with Redux, a curated content platform for videos. Use Redux to see what’s out there in your field and gauge your competition. See what’s being done right, what’s attracting a crowd and comments, and what turns people away…and then apply the strategy to your own video marketing efforts.